🚽 ‘Oregon Trail’ illness rising in Portland

Settlement for Embezzlement Charge

Once named a top young professional under 40, Devon Horace, 32, has settled an embezzlement charge and agreed to pay $50,000 in restitution. Alberta Main Street, the neighborhood nonprofit that he led — best known for sponsoring Last Thursday street fairs — dissolved after money went missing. [Oregonian 🔒]

Rising Number of Dysentery Cases

During the pandemic, Portland’s hygiene initiative that installed 123 red portable toilets was greeted with opposition by neighbors — and vandalism (ultimately, of every single red toilet). That’s a problem given that more public toilets would be the answer to a current rise in dysentery — diarrhea caused by the Shigella bacteria — among people living on the streets. [Oregonian]

• Key stat: The Oregonian counted just 116 “publicly maintained restrooms” while there are 6,000 people experiencing homelessness in Multnomah County.

$104M Budget Shortfall for Homeless Services

On the weekly news roundup, the governor and the mayor, along with other elected officials, have expressed dismay and shock at Multnomah County’s massive homeless services budget shortfall after years of a county surplus. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Last week’s scavenger hunt was for a mural that was familiar to a lot of readers:

“It’s called ‘Famine Wolf,’ and it was painted by Alex M. Petersen in 2015. I drive by it every week when I go to salsa lessons at Vitalidad Movement Arts Center around the corner (shoutout to VMAC!)” emailed reader Liane ONeill.

Overlooking the food cart pod on Southeast 28th Avenue, just south of Ankeny Street, the wolf is painted on the back side of the building that houses Crema, a coffee shop that doubles as a neighborhood landmark.

Here’s what readers had to say about the food in the area:

• “Crema — one of my absolute favorite cafes! Their baked goods are incredible and my pup lives for their housemade dog biscuits.” — reader Robert S.
• “Pod 28! The food cart pods on SE 28th just south of Ankeny. It has theeeeeeee best fried chicken spot of any food cart pod.” — reader Erin
• “Used to go to Wolf and Bear’s here all the time! RIP.” — reader K-Ray (Me too 😢)
• “I love the little food truck pod there with Saint Burrito and the beer bus. Very Portland.” — reader Jodi D.

A shoutout to the first 10 readers who responded correctly: Cecily Q., Ryan M., Rue E., Ruth, Liane ONeill, Joe G., Sergio Peralta, Jodi D., Erin, and Ashley A.

This week’s scavenger hunt is for a memorial:

Where is this sculpture? Please click here to send me the location — and anything you know about it.

If you’re new to the newsletter, there’s a scavenger hunt every Friday. Please send me the location if you know it — and for unofficial bonus points, anything you know about it. In next week’s newsletter, I’ll shout out the first 10 readers who respond correctly (and reveal the answer).

📸 Want to submit a photo? Please email me a snapshot of somewhere in the Portland metro area, and we’ll consider it for an upcoming “Where Is It?” segment!